Europe: Round-the-World Travel Destinations

Budget Scale: 1-5

1-least expensive; 5-most expensive
4– As a large country in Western Europe, Barcelona is not going to be kind on the wallet. Despite the average high prices in a city like Barcelona, you can still find some deals if you look hard enough. But if you plan on enjoying some of the popular sites and eating the great food, it’s going to cost you.

Indie Travel Scale: 1-5

1-not a good Indie Travel destination; 5-a great Indie Travel destination
3– High prices and lots of tourists means that you’re going to have to put some effort into making this an indie experience. But even the most touristy experiences in Barcelona can offer an indie travel experience.
Indie Travel Tips
Despite the high prices and super touristy aspects of sites like the Sagrada Familia and Las Ramblas, there are plenty of ways to have an indie experience in Barcelona.

• Wander the streets of the Gothic Quarter, taking in the architecture and stopping for tapas and cava along the way.
• Many tour companies offer market and food tours of Barcelona. Explore the markets on your own, sampling the famous jamon, and make your own tapas crawl in El Born.
• Barcelona tour companies also offer expensive architecture tours, and while you should definitely not skip over the works of Gaudi and other famous architects who made their mark in Barcelona, head to the tourist office in Plaza Catalunya, buy a Ruta del Modernisme book, and plan your own architecture tour.
• If you’re there during the season, join 100,000 other Spaniards at the Nou Camp and see one of the world’s great futbol teams play in FC Barcelona.

Why you should add Barcelona to your RTW travel list

• You want a good fiesta? Look no further
• Amazing architecture by some chap named Gaudi, is anything but gaudy
• Gateway for Spain and the rest of Europe
• Easy to get to and into the Pyrenees Mountains
• Ramble La Rambla for buskers, performers and entrepreneurs of all wares and stripes
• Swim awesome beaches, worship religion fútbol
• The food is incredible – tapas, seafood, and some of the world’s most renowned chefs call Barcelona home.
• It’s perfectly acceptable, and encouraged, to drink multiple glasses of wine or cava during lunch. Best of all, it won’t cost you much more than buying a soda.

Why you should not add Barcelona to your RTW travel list

• The high prices make it difficult to do Barcelona on a budget.
• There are some super touristy aspects of Barcelona – Las Ramblas, anything Gaudi related – which makes for high admission prices and lots of people.

Are you heading to Barcelona? What do you need to do?

• Buy an international plane ticket to/from Europe
• Book a Barcelona hostel
• Book a Barcelona hotel
• Take a backpacker trip in Spain
• Talk to travelers on the Europe message boards
• Read travel articles on Barcelona

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